Calipatria High boys’ basketball fall in CIF-SDS final
Special to this Newspaper
SAN DIEGO - The Calipatria High Hornets boys’ basketball team fell to the Del Lago Academy Firebirds of Escondido by a score of 59-43 in the CIF-San Diego Section Division V championship game on Thursday afternoon at Clairemont High School.
The taste of defeat in an otherwise impressive season for the Hornets, who finished with a 21-4 record and were undefeated Desert League champions, made veteran coach and former Calipatria player Robert Romero reflective.
“Give them credit, you have to respect they were the better team tonight but it doesn’t diminish what we accomplished,” Romero said.
The top-seeded Hornets took a 2-0 lead after controlling the opening tip-off but spent most of the remainder of the game trailing the second-seeded Firebirds and trailed 29-19 at halftime.
“The difference between them and other teams we played was that they were fundamentally sound,” Romero said. “I told the team it would come down to three things... rebounding, tempo, transition…and they were better tonight at all three.”
Calipatria came into the game riding a ten-game winning streak including two CIF Division V playoff blowout wins against Chula Vista in the quarterfinals 60-15 and Coastal Academy in the semifinals, 69-25.
Playing on a neutral court over two hours from the Hornet’s Nest, however, Calipatria failed to get off to a quick start and struggled to score early with Del Lago taking advantage.
“We had early turnovers, we gambled on defense, all of which worked for us recently until tonight,” Romero said. “We played with heart but you have to take care of the ball.”
Calipatria senior Noah Spence scored the first basket on a give-and-go and while junior Oscar Lopez would score six more first-quarter points, including a three-pointer, the Hornets had problems getting their shots to fall.
“There are no excuses,” Calipatria junior C. J. Spence said. “We traveled two hours and it was a different gym but we needed to communicate better with each other.”
The struggles continued into the second quarter as the Hornets scored eleven points but Del Lago was able to increase their lead to 29-19 at halftime.
The Hornets came out in the third quarter and instantly closed the gap on the scoreboard to 29-25 on back-toback three-point baskets by C. J. Spence who lead the Hornets with 18 points.
“We scored six straight points but then we lacked patience at times,” Romero said. “When we got close we forced shots or had turnovers.
Another problem for the Hornets early in the game was fouls, the result being that junior starting guard Dominic Hawk picked up four first-half fouls and then his fifth foul moments after the Hornets’ 6-0 run early in the third quarter.
“Dominic and Jordan (Potter) both got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out,” Romero said. “And once they got a good lead, they played high-low and we thought about pressing but the foul trouble didn’t help.”
The high-low Firebird offense and defense were based on a decided height advantage, nothing unusual, however, for the Hornets to face.
“We played a lot of tall teams and faster teams and in the second half we worked to come back,” Hornet junior Aidyn Zambrano said. “But they played good defense and they hit the open man for shots.”
Calipatria junior Brandon Vargas played in the paint and explained his strategy for battling taller teams who can outjump you.
“It’s mostly about position and getting around them and boxing out,” Vargas said. “I’m a big guy and they were taller and quicker so if I couldn’t get position then I tried to steal the ball so we could get into transition.”
After the game, Calipatria athletic director Ted Hughes talked about one of the advantages the Hornets did have, a Clairemont High Gym filled with Hornet fans.
“Everything with the boys came together when they won the Desert League title, that’s when attendance spiked and we hosted the two playoff games,” Hughes, in his twelfth year as a Calipatria teacher, said. “We controlled seventy-five percent of the venue tonight and that’s the way it has been since I got here ...the community supports us in droves and it is great for the kids and they love it.”
Surrounded by family, friends, and somber teammates after the championship game loss, Calipatria’s Vargas was already talking about next season.
“We only have four seniors and we play travel ball together and we’re always willing to work to get better,” Vargas said. “I think we’ll keep working because I’m sure all of us want to get back here.”